Walton County Tourism joined the Friends of South Walton Sea Turtles organization again to host International Coastal Cleanup Day. On Saturday, September 16th, Walton County citizens, visitors and Volunteer Beach Ambassadors donated approximately 443 hours and collected nearly 1,400 pounds of trash from Inlet Beach to Miramar Beach.
“ICC Day is a day to take pride in the volunteer spirit ever present in Walton County and to be part of a global initiative which involves both national and international volunteers all pitching in for the same common goal – cleaning up our coastal waters and taking care of our beautiful beaches,” says Christina Cabral of Friends of South Walton Sea Turtles and ICC Director.
ICC Day differs from other beach cleanup projects, she continues. Included in the efforts is the counting and segmentation of trash types, which communities can then use to create proactive and preventative measures to keep trash off beaches and out of the ocean. This year, cigarette butts were again the top trash item here (and globally), with 1,496 butts collected on Walton County beaches.
“Communities such as ours have an opportunity to utilize the data to make actionable plans and policy decisions to protect our most valuable resource in Walton County – our beaches.”
– Christina Cabral of Friends of South Walton Sea Turtles and ICC Director
Another notable discovery was the higher volume of food container waste (2,425 units) collected at Ed Walline Regional Beach Access, where there are numerous nearby coffee shops and restaurants. Walton County also had a uniquely high number of “strapping bands” (elastic) – 155 – used to affix names to beach chairs and/or umbrellas.
The arduous work of collecting and recording types of trash and marine debris has helped build the world’s largest database on ocean pollution, totaling nearly 400 million items, according to Cabral. Reviewing this data can help form a preventative strategy to reduce ocean contaminants and maintain our ocean’s health.
Cabral notes that ocean plastic pollution is one of the most visible and prolific threats facing our seas today. It’s also one of the most preventable. Information is gathered using the Trash Free Seas: Clean Swell App and is then submitted to the Ocean Conservancy TIDES database.
“Data collected from the International Coastal Cleanup is meant to be put to work. Scientists, policymakers, journalists and countless others have used the ICC dataset to better understand and help tackle the global plastic pollution problem. Communities such as ours have an opportunity to utilize the data to make actionable plans and policy decisions to protect our most valuable resource in Walton County – our beaches,” she says.
Those interested in volunteering or learning more about local cleanup efforts in Walton County can find information at www.FriendsOfSWTurtles.org. For more information on the global effort, visit www.OceanConservancy.org/Trash-Free-Seas/International-Coastal-Cleanup.
